Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Iwo Jima dead bled again, this time in the name of Ryder Cup TV coverage.

(click ad for closer look)Print ad for Portuguese station Sport TV's coverage of next month's Ryder Cup golf match (I hategolf) between Europe and the USA in Louisville, Kentucky. The now Tiger-less Yank hackers have lost three straight to the Euros, so this ad is a nice "fuck you' on a couple of levels. And Portugal? You just made it onto W's Axis of Evil leader board. btw: Is there anything more pathetic looking than fired-up golfers? (image via) previous ads that exploited the Iwo Jima flag-raising pic: French fight beach pollution with G.I. blood; Luxury Jet company has zero shame; and ad for South African newspaper substitutes oil rig for flag.

The first flag raised was caught by still camera. The second flag raising came later that day, not as a recreation, but to replace the first with a larger one to prevent it from being claimed as a souvenir, and, so it could be seen from farther away.

This second raising was the famous image caught on film and still camera. (It was not posed according to Joe Rosenthal, the still photographer who took the shot. The other photographer Bill Genaust standing next to him was filming it at the same moment and was later killed in action.)

A larger group of Marines then stood around in front of the second raised flag for a third but different shot which, Rosenthal said was posed.